Carville: Some Jews would vote for modern-day Nazis for a tax cut

Al Hunt and James Carville. Screenshot.

In a June 4 podcast of the Politics War Room, political strategist James Carville said many Jews are inclined to vote for modern-day Nazis to make sure they get a tax cut.

The invoking of the antisemitic trope of Jews and money came during a segment that was described as “a critique of Donald Trump’s hypocrisy regarding anti-Semitism.” Politics War Room is a long-running podcast featuring Carville and Al Hunt, a former Bloomberg columnist and CNN Capital Gang panelist who is married to Judy Woodruff.

Known as the “Ragin’ Cajun” and for speaking his mind in often colorful ways, Louisiana native Carville was the chief strategist for Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign.

Hunt opened the conversation by referencing a New York Times article by Peter Baker about Trump and antisemitism, and thanked Baker for “exposing what a total, complete hoax Trump’s crusade against antisemitism is,” especially with Trump going after Columbia and Harvard.

Carville said “I’ll tell you who this exposes in a more profound way,” and started to talk about trying to raise money “from really wealthy Jewish fundraisers,” only to be told that while they are Democrats, “I can't be a part of party (sic) because of what happened at Columbia.”

Carville exclaimed, “what the f--- did the Democrats have to do with what happened at Columbia,” which he described as “some students… (who) generally made an ass of themselves.”

The potential donors indicate “I can't do that, but I can be for a party that everybody endorses the alternative for Deutschland… the modern incarnation of National Socialism.” He said they look him right in the eye and his “instinct” is “no, you just want your f---ing tax cut.”

He added, “that doesn’t apply to most people — most Jewish people see right through that, but the ones that don't see through it, they just don't really, at the end of the day they just want their f---ing tax cut, and you could see it every day.”

Carville said “I can’t take what’s happening at Harvard. Really? Like, you would think there were no Jews that ever went to Harvard, no Jews on the Harvard faculty?”

Hunt noted the current president of Harvard is Jewish, as was the person who was president from 2001 to 2006, Larry Summers, who was recently a guest on their podcast.

Carville said that while “I’m sure the faculty is overwhelmingly left wing,” people like Ted Cruz went there, as did many officials in the current administration. He added that he never thought he could feel sorry for “an institution with a $54 billion endowment, but these a----s did it. Congratulations”

He concluded, “I’m pulling for the old Crimson. Not the Crimson Tide, the other crimson.”

This isn’t the first time in recent months that Carville has ignited controversy on a Jewish topic.

Last August, Carville said on the podcast that Republicans support Israel because of white racism — “because the Jews are whiter than the Palestinians.”

In March 2024, Carville said that it would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fault if Biden, who was then running for re-election, lost in November.

Citing a conspiratorial theory that Netanyahu is prolonging the war against Hamas to put off reckoning in personal legal battles he faces, he said the Democrats are “gonna have to tell Bibi Netanyahu, ‘Hey dude, we’re not gonna lose our election because you’re scared to go to jail’.”